Tried EU: Rome today, with Vae Victis. Well, as you said Froggy, it's far from great. First of all, Rome is so overwhelmingly powerful that most factions surrounding it are bound to lose.

Secondly, the game is slow. Way too slow. Waiting 10 years to be able to colonize a province when you're playing a minor faction is stupid. Then, the whole colonization system is aweful. Yay Macedonia in Poland.

Finally, the character gestion thingy is annoying and boring. From what I got, player's decisions have little effect on the traits. Then again, it's more or less useless. Even if all your characters are dumb cowards, you can kick any other faction ass bar the 4 biggies (Rome, Carthago, Seleukids and Ptolemies).